19 Book, Newspaper and Magazine publishing Opportunities

Deadline: 21/01/2022 17:00

Salary: London Living Wage

Hours: Part-time, 3 days a week

Location: Hybrid working between home and the Saqi office in West London

Start date: March 2022

Looking to kick-start your career in publishing? Do you want to experience working across all departments in a small, independent publishing house?

Saqi Books is a leading independent publisher specialising in the Middle East and North Africa. Over the course of four decades, we have released cutting-edge, ground-breaking works, offering an independent platform for writers and artists from around the world. We are proud to bring out in English translation the best in new and classic Arabic literature, including works by Naguib Mahfouz, Mahmoud Darwish, Adonis and Nawal El Saadawi. Saqi has two other imprints: The Westbourne Press releases engaging works that offer a progressive perspective on the leading issues of our time, and Telegram publishes new and classic international writing.

We are looking for an organised and motivated Publishing Intern to join our dynamic team for six months. The successful candidate will be offered a comprehensive training and professional development programme. You will experience working across all departments (editorial, production, sales, rights, publicity and marketing), gaining industry knowledge and in-depth experience of working within a small, independent publishing house. The successful applicant will be a core part of a small team and will participate in key meetings and activities, including the London Book Fair.

Responsibilities and learning outcomes:

Sales

• Understanding the role of the sales department: customer base; preparing for and attending sales conference; general assistant duties; what makes a good sales deal
• Gaining knowledge of different retail outlets, special sales deals and unusual outlets
• Researching the characteristics of the different markets/ accounts and sales methods
• Assisting with sales conferences and sales presentations
• Uploading metadata
• Mining data for reports
• Research

Publicity

• Introduction into the role of the publicity department and publicity campaigns
• Research, e.g. bookstagrammers, non-traditional marketing opportunities
• Crafting social media posts
• Events/Festivals: pitching authors, liaising with authors, assisting at events
• Posting review copies

Marketing

• Introduction to marketing
• Assisting on a marketing campaign/ Online marketing promotion/ taking part in brainstorming session/ suggesting new ideas/ assisting with media agency liaison
• Acquiring copywriting and presentation skills
• Updating website

Editorial

• Submissions: assessing and writing reports
• An introduction to author and translator contracts
• Market research
• Writing copy for AIs, blurb
• Proofreading
• Liaising with freelancers (eg. proofreaders, copyeditors and designers)
• Research: picture, permissions, endorsers, partners and book ideas

Production

• Introduction to production: format, paper, print runs and unit cost; cost-effectiveness in book and eBook production

Rights

• Introduction to contracts, royalties, how to pitch and sell rights, permissions, and the wide range of subsidiary rights
• Filing and scanning contracts
• Assisting with London Book Fair logistics

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to prioritise a varied workload
• Computer skills (experience with Microsoft Office Suite)
• Organisational skills (punctuality)
• Communication and problem-solving skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• A-Levels

Desirable

• Experience of working in an office environment
• Experience of working within a team
• Proven interest in books and publishing
• Demonstrable creative flair

To apply

• Log in to your Creative Access account or register today to apply for this opportunity
• Upload your CV, cover letter as one document (applications without a tailored cover letter will not be accepted)
• Once submitted, you can no longer amend your application, so proof-read carefully
• Do not contact the company directly
• Please email any queries about this role to Creative Access at this address: recruit@creativeaccess.org.uk

This internship is part-funded by the Mo Siewcharran Memorial Fund, set up by John Seaton in memory of his wife, Mo, the former Marketing & Communications Director at Neilsen Books.

This opportunity is open to applicants from a group that is under-represented in the creative industries. This includes, but is not limited to, Black, Asian and ethnically diverse candidates, people with disabilities and individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

The successful candidate for this opportunity will also participate in a Creative Access support programme for the duration of the placement or first year of contract that sits alongside workplace training. This includes a programme of induction training, monthly masterclasses, wellbeing support, buddying and more.